Carbon-fiber composites are known to be particularly strong, yet light-weight materials that can be molded into highly customizable shapes. These properties are highly desirable to the automotive and aircraft industries in their ever increasing goal to reduce weight and maximize fuel efficiency while providing a highly stylized product. In practice, carbon-fiber panels have proven difficult to integrate into a vehicle due to carbon's high electropotential relative to most fasteners (typically made from aluminum or iron). In this manner, if exposed to an electrolytic solution, the carbon fibers in the composite may form a galvanic couple with the fastener, resulting in eventual corrosion and/or failure of the fastener.